The present invention relates to a bottle for two-component extemporaneous products.
In the pharmaceutical sector there are products composed of two substances that are mixed together just before administering the products; the individual separated substances in fact remain stable longer than the product obtained from them.
One of the two substances is generally in powder or granular form and the other is in liquid form; the former dissolves or disperses in the latter.
Single- or multiple-dose bottles for two-component extemporaneous products are known which comprise a container for one of the two components that is provided with a mouth in which a reservoir of the other component is inserted hermetically; the reservoir is open in an upward region and its bottom is constituted by a membrane-like diaphragm that separates the reservoir from the container.
Known bottles further comprise a closure cap that is fixed to the container and is provided with a perforator that is internal and coaxial thereto and is partially inserted hermetically in the reservoir.
The cap is usually constituted by three portions: a lower annular portion, which is fixed to the outer walls of the mouth of the container; an upper portion, which is constituted by a hood that is coaxial to the perforator; and an intermediate portion, which is constituted by sealing means such as a removable annular band that is connected to the lower and upper portions along respective fracture lines and is provided with a grip tab; the elimination of such band by tearing disengages the upper portion from the lower one.
In order to prepare the product to be administered, it is necessary to tear off and eliminate the band and apply pressure to the head of the hood; the hood moves towards the container, while the perforator descends into the reservoir and tears its diaphragm-like bottom.
In this manner, the component contained in the reservoir is poured into the container, where it mixes with the other component in order to prepare the product to be administered.
As an alternative, the cap is partially screwed onto the outer walls of the mouth of the container and is provided with sealing means such as an annular band; in order to prepare the product, it is necessary to eliminate the sealing means and screw the cap more tightly in order to make the perforator descend into the reservoir until it tears the diaphragm-like bottom.
In single-dose bottles, the perforator is fixed to the cap; the elimination of the cap in order to open the bottle accordingly entails extracting the perforator from the reservoir.
In this last case, however, the torn diaphragm tends to return to a substantially horizontal position, thus hindering the complete dispensing of the prepared product.
Known types of bottle, therefore, are not devoid of drawbacks, including the fact that they make it very time-consuming and difficult to prepare the two-component product to be administered and they entail significant consumption and waste of materials.
Preparation of the product in fact entails a first operation for eliminating the sealing means (the annular band) and a second operation for moving the hood towards the container, by pushing or screwing it on, so that the perforator tears the diaphragm.
The sealing means to be eliminated entail consumption of material and constitute waste material that is difficult to recover.
Another disadvantage of known types of single-dose bottle is constituted by the fact that they do not allow complete dispensing of the product prepared in them, since after the perforator is eliminated together with the cap the diaphragm tends to close the reservoir again.